BOT 101B Online
Orientation
Instructor
Contact:
barb.gillespie@gcccd.edu
Introduction
This orientation will introduce you to the
course content and expectations for BOT 101B online. You'll also
have a chance to make sure everything is set up and ready to go.
While you work through this orientation, jot down any questions you
might have and post them to our course Help discussion board. I
recommend that you print this page, and check each item off as you
complete it. Do not forget to take the 20-point quiz (in
Blackboard) once
you've finished reading this and the syllabus.
You must remember to e-mail me indicating that you
have read this orientation page when you have finished this
assignment. That email is listed on your assignment sheet which is
in your syllabus.
What to do for this
assignment
-
Print this
page and mark each item as you complete it.
-
Enroll in
the course. You enroll for this online course the same way
you enroll in any other Grossmont College course. You will need
to be enrolled in the course before you can access the course
Blackboard site.
-
Buy the textbook and install the
software.
You can buy the book kit at the campus bookstore, or from
another source. You will need them on the first day of class. In
the kit you will find 2 textbooks and the GDP keyboarding
software on a CD. This course teaches keyboarding and document
processing in Microsoft Word 2007. If you already have Word 2007
on your computer, you’re ready. You absolutely must use Word
2007 for this class because older versions of Word will not
work with the GDP keyboarding software. (See below for more
details about the required course materials). I realize that the
kit is expensive (as all textbooks are), and many students
choose to purchase the kit from an outside source (online)
rather than the bookstore. However, if doing this will delay
your starting the class, you might consider purchasing from the
Grossmont Bookstore. You must install
and upload Lesson 31A in the GDP software before October 23
to show me you have purchased the book and the GDP software
(they come together in the kit). If you fail to do this before
October 23, you may be dropped from the course.
-
Login to Blackboard. The first day of
class is October 19, 2009. One week before class
begins, those who have enrolled will be entered into the
Blackboard system.
If
you enrolled successfully in the class, you should now be able
to access the class. If you register for the class less than one
week prior to class starting, you must contact me to obtain an
Add Code. You can no longer add yourself into Blackboard; it is done
for you when you enroll in the course.
-
How to login to Blackboard
(available October 14 – five days
before class begins)
A. Go to
http://bb.gcccd.edu
(click on this link or the Blackboard Login link on the
Grossmont College homepage.
B. Click the login button
C. For Username, enter your name as
firstname.lastname
(all lower case with a dot between your first and last names)
D. For Password, enter your birthday (mmddyy)
E. If you cannot login successfully the first time, try it
again. Your login information is the same as when you login to
any computer on campus. If you still have trouble login in, STOP
and contact me (barb.gillespie@gcccd.edu).
Do not panic. We will get it fixed.
F. For
those of you already taking 101A, all you need to do is continue
where you left off in 101A, but just use the Assignment Sheet
for 101B. You still need to take the Online Orientation Quiz and
follow all directions in the syllabus.
-
Successful
login! Now that you have logged in, welcome to the course.
Read the Welcome announcement. This announcement contains
helpful information on how the course works and where to start.
-
Update
your personal information. The first time you login to the
course (or anytime you change e-mail address), click on the Tools
button, select Personal Information, and update
the e-mail address that you prefer to use for this class. When I
send class e-mail announcements, it will go to the e-mail
address in your profile. Save any changes.
-
Print the syllabus
(available October 14 – five days
before class begins). In the Blackboard course site,
click on the course Information button. Click on the syllabus
link. Print the syllabus and keep it with your textbook. You may
need to save the syllabus and then open it to print it. READ the
whole syllabus (you will need to answer questions about the
syllabus on the quiz).
-
Familiarize yourself with the course web site by clicking on
all of the links (buttons) in the course navigation area on the left
side of the course website. There are also several links on the
web pages that display. Browse through them thoroughly to
familiarize yourself with the entire course website.
-
Install
the GDP keyboarding software. Turn to page 4 in your
syllabus and follow the instructions to install and set up the
GDP software. You will also need the GDP software manual.
(Again, if you are moving on from 101A, you do not need to do
this).
-
Install Word 2007 software.
You will need Word 2007 installed. GDP
will automatically launch Word when it is needed.
-
Take the online orientation quiz
(available October 19– the first day
of class). After completing the steps
above, you can take the quiz (worth 20 points and due the first
week of class). Login to Blackboard, click on the Exams
link, and click on the Online Orientation Quiz. The quiz
will cover information from the syllabus and
Blackboard. This is
Assignment #1 in your syllabus.
- Begin on the course assignments.
Turn to page 5 in your syllabus and begin on the assignments in
the order they are listed. You can turn in assignments early.
See instructions for submitting assignments by clicking "How
to Upload your keyboarding assignments" link on the Course Information page in the class website. The due dates
for each assignment are listed in the syllabus. Most assignments
are due by midnight on Saturday, but be sure to check the
syllabus. The weeks of the midterm and final exams, I need your
work earlier so that I can grade everything and return
feedback before you take the exam.
Remember to
e-mail me indicating that you have read this orientation page when
you have finished this assignment; this is part of your assignments
as listed in your syllabus.
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The textbook kit is available at the
Grossmont College Bookstore.
You can also purchase the kit online at
www.whywaitforbooks.com,
but again, be sure it is in your hands by October 23 so you can do the
first part of Lesson 31, or you will be dropped. You do not need the
textbook to do the first couple of assignments in the syllabus.
·
Required:
College Keyboarding &
Document Processing, Lessons 1-60, 10th edition,
by Scott Ober, Jack E.
Johnson, & Arlene Zimmerly, with GDP10 software. ISBN-13:
978-0-077-212-568 (This kit comes in a navy blue box and includes
the keyboarding textbook, a word
processing manual, and a CD with software). NOTE: Must be
the 10th edition text and software; and for Word 2007.
·
Word 2007 software, which is part of Office 2007. NOTE: Older versions of
Word will not work with the GDP keyboarding software.
You can get academic pricing, which is significantly lower than
retail, at several places. The best prices are available at
www.collegesoftware.org, but is exclusively for currently-enrolled
students. You can also check
www.gradware.com ,
www.journeyed.com , and www.campustech.com.
·
Access to a PC/Windows computer with the following requirements:
·
Computer/Processor:
500-MHz or higher
·
Memory:
256 MB of RAM or higher
·
Hard disk:
2 GB of available hard-disk space
·
Monitor:
800 x 600 minimum monitor resolution; 1024 x 768 recommended
·
CD drive
·
Operating system:
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or later
·
Internet access:
Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher
·
Sorry, no Macintosh as the Office program is very different on a
Mac.
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Advice from BOT
online students
-
Keep up
with the class. The biggest problem online students have is
gradually falling behind. You lose points when assignments are
late, and you may be dropped from the class if you get behind.
This class is only 8 weeks in length and all work must be
completed by the class end date.
-
Schedule
at least 5-7 hours per week to focus on the class. Some
students may need more or less time, so you can make adjustments
based on your skill level.
-
Don't wait
until the last minute to start an assignment. If you run into a
problem, it may take time to get help.
-
Contact
your instructor as soon as you begin to have problems or if
you decide to drop.
-
Check
e-mail and online discussion several times a week.
- Have a back-up plan in case your
computer crashes. There are four computers on campus in the Tech
Mall that have GDP loaded on them. You'll need to bring a flash
drive and be enrolled in IDS 198 to use the computers. To enroll
in IDS 198 (a free course), you simply need to show your
syllabus and school ID to the person at the front desk and
they'll enroll you. This gives you access to the Tech Mall
computers. You will NOT be printing anything in this course, so
be sure you save everything to a flash drive if you decide to
work on campus. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR HAVING ALL WORK TURNED
IN ON TIME.
Congratulations you are ready to earn
your first points in the class. Be sure to mention that you have
read this orientation page in your e-mail to me:
barb.gillespie@gcccd.edu.
Have fun and let's have a great
class!
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